China’s West Pacific Petrochemical Corp (Wepec) will start building a two million tonne-per-year (tpy) diesel hydrotreating unit in September, with full-scale production due to start in 2007.

The plant is also building a 1.5 million-tpy hydrocracker, which processes fuel oil into higher premium oil products, on the same calendar with initial pilot runs scheduled for 2006.
The additions are part of an ambitious expansion plan to help meet growing oil demand in the world’s second-largest consumer. It also includes an 80,000-tpy desulphuriser due to come on line next year.
 Wepec, a 200,000-bpd joint venture between PetroChina, Sinochem Corp and French oil major Total, currently exports 50 per cent of its oil products, while the balance is being distributed to the southern markets.